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tv   The Travel Show  BBC News  January 29, 2017 1:30am-2:01am GMT

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after president trump signed an executive order temporarily banning refugees from entering the country. a number of foreign nationals have already been detained at us airports. the policy has been criticised by the un, some european countries sand canada. the british prime minister theresa may and the turkish president recep tayyip erdogan have signed a $125 million defence agreement during their talks in ankara. the deal to develop turkey's fighter aircraft could lead to multi—billion dollar contracts. they also discussed a possible trade deal after britain leaves the eu. wildfires in southern and central chile are now known to have killed at least 11 people and left several thousand others homeless. firefighters and volunteers are tackling more than 100 separate fires, half of which are still out of control. lorry drivers should be banned from using sat navs designed for cars, according to council chiefs.
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the calls to change navigation systems come after a number of lorries have got stuck in narrow roads or under low bridges. the local government association, wants legislation brought in, to make it compulsory for all lorry drivers in england and wales to use sat—navs specifically designed for their vehicle. keith doyle reports. when a large lorry tried to cross this bridge over the thames in buckinghamshire last year it caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage. it was ten times heavier than the bridge‘s weight limit, but it's sat nav didn't know that. sat navs are leading large vehicles into unsuitable roads across the country, causing damage and disruption. the local government association, which represents local authorities across england and wales, says truck drivers using sat navs and phones meant for cars are causing mayhem. they want lorry drivers to be forced to use the right kind of sat navs for large vehicles. we're seeing a
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growing problem. i get more and more complaints from local residents, they see country lanes blocked by vehicles that shouldn't be going down then, they see local high street is blocked by hgv vehicles and also local economies are hit when you just see big lorries going over bridges theyjust can't take the weight for. most truck drivers do use the right kind of sat navs but they say there's no substitute for commonsense. sat navs are ok but you can't rely on them, we have a special one for hgvs and even they go wrong so it's just watching roadsigns and being careful, that's not to say you don't come unstuck and you have to turn around sometimes. the bridge has now reopened after two months of repairs but locals say they live in fear of a similar accident closing it at any time, and that's the local government association says something is to be done to stop drivers of large vehicles using the wrong kind of sat nav that is leading them into nothing but trouble. keith doyle, bbc news. now on bbc news, the travel show.
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coming up on this week's travel show, i go way back in time, here in turkey. join me as i go underground to explore a vast hidden city. wow! and get to see some amazing meditation in motion up close. and we also head to italy, to talk to the mayor who wants to take meat off the menu in her town. sumptuous. really, really nice. now, italy is a country perhaps best—known for its history and its food, and apennine mount region sees itself as the nation's home of gastrononmy, but now the mayor of turin wants
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to start a revolution in the city's restaurants. we sent rajan to find out why. spaghetti! some historical cities never lose their grandeur, even in mid—winter. the elegant royal city of turin and, yes, those really are the alps behind me. now, this city is famous for its cars, it's cuisine now, this city is famous for its cars, its cuisine and its role in the creation of the italian nation, but now it's staking a claim as being the capital of vegetarianism. that's the dream of turin's new mayor, the 31—year—old chiara appendino, who swept into power last summer on an anti—establishment ticket. food is notjust a matter of eating, it's a matter of being, having knowledge on what you eat, how you eat it, where you eat it
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and also about the story of what you're eating. it's a matter of health. it's a matter of respecting the environment. so when we talk about vegetarianism, we're talking about what it means to have a food policy and what it means to having knowledge of what you're eating. are you a vegetarian? no, i'm not. among the proposals are... a vegetarian map for tourists. one meat free—day a week and teaching children about animal welfare and ecology. but this is the land of vitello tonnato, veal with tuna sauce. brasato al barolo, beef braised in local wine. spaghetti bolognese and beef steak. so how will the mayor's plans go down in a city that's notjust blue blooded in its history, but traditionally red blooded with its cuisine? in surveys, 10% of italians regard themselves as veggie
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and only 1% vegan. this is porta palazzo, the largest open market in europe and if you want to get a sense of how much people in this city love their food, just look around here. this may be an industrial town, but turin is also surrounded by really good soil for vegetables and fruit. itjust goes on forever, just stall after stall after of vegetables and fruit. i think that the tradition of italian cooking — and especially the turin cooking — is not vegetarian, so it's a good thing to eat vegetables, but not all the vegetables, also meat is important. as a non—meat eater myself, i'm curious as to how
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realistic the proposals are. according to the mayor's office, there are already at least 30 vegan and vegetarian restaurants, like this one, in turin, but she wants many more. how creative do you have to be to make vegan and vegetarian food? for the kind of cuisine we make here, we want to propose something new, something different, and then we starting a lot about different kinds of ingredients or technique. a lot of dishes inside the italian culture are vegan, but people don't know. people eat spaghetti and tomatoes and think about spaghetti and tomatoes, but it's vegan based, do you know what i mean? so it's natural in italian food? yes, it's really easy. this soup is a cream made with potatoes... luca got into veganism, he told me, through the punk scene when he was young. this is vegan parmesan.
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he feels turin is ahead of the game on eating trends. then we have to carve the truffle. oops! it's not easy, i know. it's not easy. one of the most famous and the first vegan festival in italy was in turin, like the first gay pride was in turin. i think it's like a really european and open—minded city. sumptuous. really, really nice. not surprisingly for those whose livelihoods depend on the meat industry, the idea of a vegetarian city is propostous and donkey's might fly, as the saying goes here. buon giorno, piercarlo. buon giorno, buon giorno. piercarlo's grandfather started this business in 1928, meat is sourced from five farms in the prestigious alba area and its pride and joy is the beef
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of a local breed of cow, called the fassone. piercarlo says many local people rely on the meat trade for work and jobs could be at risk. the fact is, though, this is a region that has also always celebrated the diversity of its food, its deep links to the soil and its refined tastes and aromas. the bella vita, in fact. to be fair, it wouldn't be the first time that this city has led the world in changing its eating habits. the now world—famous slow food, which movement celebrates healthy eating and promotes good food products started in this very region. it's safe to say that meat will not
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be disappearing for most menus in turin for the foreseeable future. but the new mayor's administration, for all the talk of ending political gimmickry, has shown itself to be very skilful at seizing the agenda. by using the veggie angle, turin has also been able to shout from the rooftops about its other unique assets and raised its tourist profile in the process. talk about having your cake and eat it! umm, wow! wow! still to come on this week's travel show: i hit the road here in turkey and join the archeologists who are unearthing a fascinating part of the country's past. and also get to see an amazing display of movement and meditation up close. the travel show, your essential guide where ever you're heading. now, turkey is a country maybe best—known to travellers
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for its sun and sea holidays, but as a bridge between europe and asia, the country also has a fascinating history, as i'm about to discover. i'm travelling to the centre of the country, nevsehir in cappadocia. millions of years ago, the region was covered volcanic ash which hardened over time to form this dream—like landscape. for centuries, settlers have tunnelled into the rock to create over 200 underground cities and villages. so many, that the area's recognised as a world heritage site. good morning, sami. good morning, henry. but i'm here to see a recent discovery that might top the others. in the heart of the town, among the modern houses and office buildings, workers made a startling find as they cleared a hillside for redevelopment — the largest underground
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city of its kind. excavations have revealed these openings, dug into the side of the hill. experts estimate the caves could extend over 450,000 square meters. experts estimate the caves could extend over 450,000 square metres. wow, look at all of this. ifind it quite hard to believe that there were people living on top of here and all of this was actually hidden, so they had no idea that this was here. no. that is insane. wow, that ceiling is rather unique, isn't it? what's all this? this is a monastery and, according to the scientists, the monastery dates back to the 6th century ad. it's not in the best of conditions, but you can definitely see that outline, that cross there. yeah. yeah, you can. this region was really important
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for the early christians. so do you find that some people are surprised to hear that turkey has had such a christian history? most of the visitors which come to turkey as a tourist, yes, because turkey's a single country on earth which has got the function of a bridge which is connecting two continents together — asia to europe, europe to asia. nearly two different civilisations that pass through this country, those are the civilisations which leave some remains. it's thought christian settlers used these caves 1,500 years ago. the winding tunnels and hidden openings offered protection from attacking armies. starting at the early christian period, the enemies was the roman empire. after 6th, 7th century,
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the enemies was arab, persians. and while they were attacking very often and how they could fight against the professional soldiers. now, sami, i've noticed a couple of these around the caves themselves. what exactly is it? this is a stone door. that must weigh at least, how much do you think? around 1000lb, 500 kilograms. so it actually moves still? yes, look. wow, that's a little precarious. it's a little bit steep, isn't it? yes. there are so many little holes you can actually put your foot in and fall through.
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what is this area, what is it used for? i mean this section has been used as a burial places, tombs, or family burial chambers. the caves weren't simply used for hiding. as well as burials, archeologists believe the network was used to store produce and transport goods. now these particular tunnels are a bit of a tight squeeze and that's because they're part of the underground water system. now they think that it stretches for about 12 kilometers, but at the moment they've only uncovered about 500 meters of it and it's definitely not recommended if you're a little bit claustrophobic. luckily, i'm not. no—one is certain how long ago the first tunnels were built, they might be as much as 5,000 years old, long are before the christians settled here.
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only a small portion of the network has been excavated so far and experts hope there are plenty more discoveries waiting to be unearthed. wow, look at that. i've actually heard of this spot because all the archeologists are very excited about this, aren't they? this is a church. an underground cave church, the experts are dating back to the 12th century. you can't help but notice that these ones are pretty well kept, but a lot of them have, kind of, disintegrated away, some have fallen away from the actual ceiling. probably, when we got to the other section of the church, over there, things will be much better preserved or which are under the soil will be much better preserved than those ones. so this is going to take quite a long while because you need the specialists who will take care
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in removing the dirt and, hopefully, finding some more fresh bits. going forward, there are plans to turn sections of the cave network into an archaeological park with art galleries and boutique hotels. authorities hope to open it to the public in 2018, when visitors can see the excavations in their full glory. now, i'm leaving that dig at nevsehir behind and heading westwards towards the city of konya. like many places in turkey, it's seen civilisations come and go from the romans to the persians, but perhaps what it's best—known for was being the home of a man who's often referred to as the islamic shakespeare. come, come again,
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whoever you are, come! heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come! the words of a 13th century religious scholar, mystic and poet called mevlana rumi, whose work has been studied and venerated for centuries in the east and become increasingly popular in the west. # come as you are. # as you were...#. musicians from top 90s grunge group nirvana to madonna have used text attributed to rumi in their work. he's currently, almost 800 years after his death, the best—selling poet in america. the son of a religious scholar, rumi spent much of his childhood
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travelling throughout the islamic world before finally making his home here in konya, in central anatolia. he became well—known not only for his interpretation of koranic verse, but also the honesty and humour in his writing and his clear sense of morality, leaving behind countless poems that still resonate today. and now many people come here to konya to see where the man, who is often referred to as the islamic shakespeare, is buried and to learn more about his work an his teachings. i've been incredibly lucky as a direct descendant of the great man himself has agreed to meet up for a chat. listen to the reed, how it tells it tale, complaining of separations. saying, ever since i was parted from the reedbed my lament has caused man and woman to moan. translation: i am the 22nd
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generation descendant from mevlana and when i was born my siblings and i were taught that we had been passed a very special gift to protect. others can learn and experience his teachings, but it's our duty to safeguard the legacy. so why do you think the teachings that mevlana had written about have grown in popularity, 750 yea rs later? the whole world is curious about the teachings of mevlana because he taught us how important it is to know and love ourselves because that allows us to love others. this really resonates with what's happening in the world today. as a sufi, rumi was a member of a group of devout muslims who focus on nurturing their own and others spiritual dimension, whatever their religion. a whole tourist industry has sprung up around rumi in konya and every
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year hundreds of thousands of people also come here to study sufism. perhaps best—known of all sufi traditions are the world famous dancers or dervishes who whirl in a trance—like state to release untapped energy and make a devine connection. now this is a very special place indeed. this is where they make the sikke, which is a traditional hat worn by the sufi. they've used the same technique for hundreds of years and it's all handmade. translation: in the teachings of mevlana everything has a meaning. people, objects, animals and plants. kissing this band on the hat symbolises the value of these things. so you put the sikke on your head, like this, and the ribbon
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comes down to your heart. the green band symbolises knowledge and you can think of this like a channel, which means all knowledge should lead to the heart and to love. if knowledge doesn't reach the heart, then it's worthless. although whirling dervishes perform for tourists in many parts of the islamic world, here at the mevlana rumi centre, i'm told that i'll see something far more authentic and purely devotional. now i hear that they put on this performance every saturday night, i'm really looking forward to watching this. each devotional session or sama is led by a sheikh, who commands the ritual. singing
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each devotional session or sama is led by a sheikh, who commands the ritual. each of the dancers whirl with their right arm directed upwards towards god, whilst their left arm points to the earth. through this unique act of motion and meditation, sufi believe they can reach the source of all perfection, known as kemal.
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it's so hypnotising, kind of, watching them perform. i can only imagine how they actually feel doing it and listening and hearing the scriptures, it's almost as if they get into a bit of a trance, but i'll definitely say that's pretty amazing. everyone who is left far from his source wishes back the time when he was united with it. well, i'm afraid that's all the time we have for this week, but coming up next week. i head to brunei to explore the world's largest floating town. and, alli gets a chance to play his very first set and he asks why so many london clubs have closed down in recent years.
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i'm catch that if you can. but from me, henry golding, and the rest of the travel show team here in turkey, it's goodbye. hello there. the weather is changing and we will be losing the wintry chill that has been with us for a while. not just yet. we still have icy conditions, particularly across the northern parts of the country but we could see icy stretches almost anywhere to start sunday. a cold start to the day with rain moving in as we head through the course of the day,
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heading in from the south—west. many areas, across the north of the country in particular, below freezing first thing in the morning in more rural spots. that means we could have slippery surfaces and icy conditions almost anywhere across the country. it is milder towards the south—west as the cloud creeps in here, bringing outbreaks of rain. sunshine for much of scotland and northern england lasting for quite a part of the day but northern ireland and wales, central and south—western england we will see the rain heading in. mild temperatures into double figures, particularly towards the south—west but breezy at times as well. the far south—east and east anglia are likely to stay dry into the middle part of the afternoon but the rain pours in across the midlands towards northern ireland. sunshine for northumberland and much of scotland with a chance of wintry showers continuing up towards the northern isles. a lot going on in sunday. eventually that rain will move towards the east as we head into monday. we are left with a lot of cloud, low cloud, mist, fog and some freezing fog. still cold conditions across many northern and north—eastern parts of the country, whereas towards the south—west we have milder air heading in.
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a murky day on monday. a lot of cloud, freezing fog or fog patches. later in the day we will see further outbreaks of patchy rain heading their way slowly eastwards mainly affecting the western part of the country. further east you will stay dry but also colder. six degrees in aberdeen and around 11 in plymouth. as we move through the latter part of monday into tuesday you can see the frontal system moving in from the atlantic, slowly across the country because there is still pressure slowing things down. we are likely to see a spell of wet weather on tuesday moving in from the west, a lot of cloud once again. low cloud, hill fog as well but with that southerly breeze temperatures will be much milder than they have been. into wednesday and the frontal system is lingering slowly across parts of the country. the next front and low pressure system waiting out in the wings. on wednesday, another mild day with cloud around. rain clearing towards the east and showers from the west. a milder and more
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unsettled week ahead. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. i'm tom donkin. build a ball, we'll tear it down! protests in new york and a legal challenge, after donald trump signs an executive order banning migrants and refugees from several muslim countries. the british prime minister and the turkish president have signed a $125 million defence agreement during their talks in ankara. hello. a number of foreign nationals have been detained at airports in the united states. it comes after president trump signed an executive order
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